Stop Right Where You Are!

A push to screen children for diabetes at birth in Finland has identified about 75 percent of those who later developed diabetes at an early age.

Finland has one of the highest rates of type 1 diabetes in the world, with 36.5 of every 100,000 children in the country developing the disease, according to the World Heath Organization. Identifying at-risk children shortly after birth will allow preventive measures to be taken in hopes of either delaying the onset of type 1 diabetes or preventing it altogether, wrote researchers in the March issue of Diabetologia.

Unlike DPT-1 trials on first-degree relatives of people with type 1 diabetes, which only catch a small percentage of the total population, Finland’s Diabetes Prediction and Prevention Project is promising to identify a high percentage of the total population. The extensive testing is being conducted at three centers and represents nearly one-fifth of all births in Finland.

Ninety-five percent of parents asked are saying yes to requests to test their newborns’ cord blood for the markers of type 1 diabetes. If markers are present, parents are asked to bring their children in at specified intervals for further study. About 75 percent of parents whose newborns were identified as being at-risk have participated in follow-up studies.

During the first four years of the on-going study, which began in November 1994, only 55 percent of the children who went on to develop type 1 diabetes were identified. Researchers now use a different marker. If that marker had received more focus in the beginning of the study, 80 percent of cases would have been predicted.

Researchers note that there are no therapies now that prevent or delay type 1 diabetes. However, they say, safe treatments that attempt to prevent or delay onset are available for human trials.

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Greetings from Nadia

A few facts about me in case you are new to my column and site.

My life in the diabetes community started at a young age as the secret keeper of my maternal and paternal Grandmothers. They both had type 2 diabetes and my days spent alone with them exposed me to their misunderstanding of how their diabetes really affected them. Eating candy bars, hiding the candy wrappers and smoking cigarettes seemed innocent enough to them. A decade later I married a type 1 person living with diabetes and experienced the full court of the diabetes spectrum with my type 2 family members and type 1 husband of almost 20 years.

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My grandmothers, the type 2 have struggled with their diabetes as long as I could remember. Later my mother followed in her mother’s footsteps. Sadly, my brother followed in my mother’s footsteps and experienced an early passing at the age of 53. My brother Jamal’s passing had the greatest impact on me. Probably because were the Irish twins; eleven months apart and his departure devastated me.

As I tell most people, diabetes is not a glamorous profession. Most people that work in the industry have a personal connection. This is why I am still here publishing after 26 years.

On the flip side of the coin, helping and inspiring people is my mission. I understand the daily challenges you face regardless of your education, IQ and economic circumstance. I am not a healthcare professional. Simply a lay person who has lived with a Type 1 and Type 2 family member who struggled with their disease. My former Type 1 husband was a role model in how to manage your diabetes, while my intelligent family members were role models on how an invisible disease can be misunderstood, devastating the quality of their life while leaving heart broken family members behind.

The perils of my experience have taught me to never judge anyone. As knowledgeable as I am, I also realize that I have no idea of the strings that pull at each person heart.

What I love about the diabetes community?

Once I meet someone and we share that we have a common experience; their diabetes and my life long experience as a care taker, we tend to have an instant bond. Think about it. How many people do you meet who you feel really get you right after your introduction? The conversations that follow tend to be very personal. Not a common experience with all strangers.

AskNadia Column

I started this column because where ever I go, people tend to ask me a lot of diabetes questions.

My answers are my opinions and it is not to be replaced by your healthcare professional’s opinion. The answers to your question in most cases will include research and other links to give you a borader perspective on your question.